Did you know that this year we are celebrating the 50th year of Earth Day that was launched on April 22, 1970?
Earth Day was launched as a modern environmental movement and as a unified response to a world environment in crisis. Earth Day provided a platform for "Green" action.
The Green movement resulted in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, The Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts in the U.S. and more globally. Órale, so what has all that Green "action" gotten us? As citizens of this planet, have we really given Earth Day and the environmental movement its just due? Have we done anything to support climate activists call for climate action?
There are no easy answers to the questions most people have about the threat devastating our planet. Not the threat from human viruses; Tu sabes, racism, sexism, capitalism, socialism, fascism. We seem preoccupied with these issues because we feel them and think we know their causes - We don't!
If we truly did, we'd have solved them all, for the sake of humanity. Alas, we have ignored the real threat to world peace.
Simón Raza, I'm talking about the big one - environmentalism. The concept that our ecosystem is the primary influence on the life of every person. Our planet's ecosystem has no prejudice, doesn't discriminate and certainly will seek to cleanse itself of any harmful organism, including you and I, that disrupts its natural process.
We are currently living in a period where human actions are directly altering many earth processes, including the movement of atmospheric (air), geologic (rock), hydrologic (water) and biospheric (life) processes. If we are ignoring our planets ecosystem its probably because we are too busy with la vida loca in front of us to even want to have a conversation about an "unknown future."
Ironically, most people today accept the science that global warming is real. Perhaps, merely acknowledging that fact, spurs an unconscious fear that the world may quickly disappear as we know it. We certainly see early signs of the world’s potential extinction; the volume of sea ice is decreasing, the oceans are warming, and the global sea level is rising.
Likewise, coral reefs are disappearing, and thousands of animals have become extinct each year.
The growing precipitation rate (rainfall/snow) and frequency in storms are degrading many of our ecosystems on earth at an alarming pace. The Global Citizen reported in 2017 that we are currently experiencing a species loss at a rate of hundreds of times faster than in the past, where we are predicted to lose half of the worlds species by 2050.
But those facts don’t hit home unless you live in the arctic, on the sea or by the beach. Most Raza may visit the beach, but we don’t live there. And most Raza don’t ski either, so snow packs don’t mean much unless it’s in a raspado! The only coral reef we are familiar with is a cocktail drink. As long as cows, chickens and pigs are around, who really cares if animals, like the Ailuropoda Melanoleuca, are dying off?
Indeed, our Raza, like most “essential service” members, are too busy surviving the stress and obligations of daily life…until it hits closer to home.
You know, dirty water, smelly air, power outages, floods, fires and the current tragedy, the Pinché Rona!
Certainly, the great floods in the mid-west, gargantuan hurricane storms in the eastern seaboard and the great fires on the west coast are wake up calls to what is sure to be the “new” seasonal threat. Yet we remain as a community, overwhelmed by the thought that we may have just screwed up this beautiful world to the point of no return. Yeah, you read that right!
In the spirit of General Emiliano Zapata, who was assassinated for his convictions, if we claim to be fighting against racism, sexism. prejudice and discrimination then why not throw chingasos against the earth's annihilation too?
Granted, nothing worth having is easy...we have to, want to, fly like Birds of Prey...Not like worms trampled on the ground!
Despite, the old fossil-fuel loving naysayers (oil industry) having stopped lying about their role in the destruction of the planet, they remain driven to support all other energy sources that rape the earth of its life. It's about profits!
Yeah ese, they have been “Fracking” the earth to support our ranfla (lowrider) addictions and their pocketbooks. And burning-coal-baby, at our expense, figuratively and literally, just to make a fast buck.
Even our "safe" power choices, solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen and Biomass have also come under scrutiny by powerfully influential Eco activists too.
A 2019, Michael Moore-produced documentary that takes aim at the supposed hypocrisy of the green movement. The film, Planet of the Humans, was released on YouTube, the eve of 2020 Earth Day by Moore, the baseball cap-wearing documentarian, known for Fahrenheit 9/11 , Bowling for Columbine and Sicko.
Describing itself as a “full-frontal assault on our sacred cows”, the film argues that 1) Green energy is a high-impact industrial process. 2) Green energy has many undesirable environmental impacts. 3) Green energy is hugely dependent on fossil fuels. 4) "100% renewable" is energy accounting fraud claimed by some major industries like Apple, Google, Lego and Budweiser. and 5) Leading green energy advocates are a terrifying combination of ignorance and dishonesty.
It also attacks figures including former Vice President, Al Gore, for bolstering corporations that push flawed technologies over real solutions to the climate crisis.
In 2006, Gore startled the world with “An Inconvenient Truth” and then launched a $300 million education campaign to turn alarm into action.
Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 his efforts to obtain and disseminate information about the climate challenge.
Sure, he probably has a conflict of interest from his role as both an investor in green-technology companies and as an advocate of taxpayer-funded green-technology subsidies. PuroChisme ain't hating anyone for making a buck...But as Alexander C. Kaufman reported on HuffPost, Gore had boasted a relatively modest net worth of $1.7 million, held mostly in family farm assets, when he ran for president in 2000.
But and then became a media mogul and financial titan over the following decade, with a personal fortune valued at upward of $200 million. The climate certainly changed for this vato!
Environmental activists critical of the Planet of the Humans movie claim it is “dangerous, misleading and destructive” and should be removed from public viewing, according to an assortment of climate scientists and environmental activists, like, Bill McKibben, Josh Fox, and Michael Mann.
They have a point, while electric cars require fossil fuel-generated energy to produce them and provide the electricity to fuel them, research has shown they still emit less greenhouse gas and air pollutants over their lifetime than a standard petrol or diesel car. So why the chingasos between these leaders in the climate change movement for a greener earth?
The film may have legitimate errors and/or outdated facts but Moore may have wanted another reason for sharing this film on YouTube in the mist of the RONA lock-down. Moore said it was “perhaps the most urgent film we’ve shown in the 15-year history of our film festival.”
Jeff Gibbs, who wrote and directed the film, has suggested that unrestrained economic and population growth should be the target of environmentalists’ efforts rather than technological fixes. To Gibbs point, PuroChisme partly agrees!
Today, in our part of the world, we are staying home, guarded against the pandemic. We are using less resources (except for all the silly purchases online) and the carbon imprint (fossil fuel usage) is down. What do you see? As the Guardian has reported “We've never had a better chance ...to make a greener world. Covid-19 has delivered unusual environmental benefits: cleaner air, lower carbon emissions, a respite for wildlife.” The question we all need to answer now is can we take advantage of this slowed down economy to rethink our own responsibility to the planet earth?
Now the question is whether we can capitalize on this moment. On the macro level (the big picture), the Green New Deal, pushed by youth groups (sponsored by Justice Democrats, the Sunrise Movement and progressive political leaders) is considered to be the most ambitious and transformative national project taken on since Franklin Roosevelt’s original New Deal and World War II economic mobilizations. But it is not just a environmental movement project.
The Green New Deal is a national mobilization that includes investments not only in communities and public infrastructure, but also in private industry to enable a sweeping transformation of our entire economy. The Green new deal seeks to cut in half the total greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors, including transportation, industry, and buildings by 2030; replace fracked gas, coal, and other fossil fuels with enough clean energy to meet all of our electricity needs by 2035; and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.”
New Consensus, a policy think tank, calls the Green New Deal, "an unprecedented opportunity to not only combat the climate crisis, but also to eliminate poverty in the United States and to make wealth, prosperity, and security available to every person who participates in the transition." A bold progressive vision that seeks to to share and work toward a greater good...pero PuroChisme thinks there is too much crema-on-that-taco for us to swallow right now. Only because it just can't happen in the immediate future!
Until the smog and smut of Politca changes, By Your VOTE – and we can clearly see real solutions in local, state and national government – here is our take on what YOU CAN DO at home [most of which you are probably already doing] to help improve your own personal Eco-systems:
1) The Home Carbon Footprint – You’ve probably heard of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Which means, walk, ride a bike, skateboard, or electric scooter instead of a car. Buy less of what you think you need especially carne (cows have unique ecosystem issues) and plastic stuff. Clean and reuse all you can. And proactively recycle all green, metal, glass and plastic trash...become a Zero Waster Leader!
2) Start a Garden – Yeah, even a couple of pots by the window or doorway will do. Experts claim that it helps calm the spirit and enjoy the splendor of nature growing fruit trees, veggies and herbs. More importantly, they produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis = clean air!
3) Conserve Water and Protect our Waterways – When you brush your teeth, shut off the water. Don’t leave it running. Only when it’s time to rinse your mouth out.
Take shorter showers. Don’t flush things down the toilet to dispose of them. One flush can waste up to 5 or 7 gallons of water! And, some stuff is toxic to our already over polluted sewage system. Avoid dish/body soaps filled with toxins that go down the drain and only further pollute our water supply. Use Eco-friendly soaps and detergents that will naturally disperse in the aquifers below us.
3) Clean your nest – With the RONA in full force, nearly everyone has been doing lock-down chores to stay busy. Check your cleaning schedule again. Maybe, you may want to remove your zapatos before entering the home. You carry more than you can see on those shoes! The dust inside our homes contains a variety of factors: allergens, micro plastics, microbes, chemicals, metals and organisms. All of these combine to form the indoor ecosystem. Did you know, water and vinegar is a good cleaning solution. A small drop of chlorine with water is an excellent disinfectant. Changing your air & heater filters every three months. Washing the bed sheets regularly. Shaking out the couch pillows. Does your partner reading this appreciate the effort? Do they help you? Huevones, Cochinos!
4) Cleanse yourself – Your mind [meditation], your spirit [consciousness], your body [Exercise] and your gut [prebiotics/probiotics] need the same attention as your garden. This is your life system that needs constant attention too!
6) Share with Others – It may surprise you that sometimes, the good things we do for ourselves is copied by others that want that same thing. Showing neighbors, friends and family the benefits of gardening, conservation, organic cleaning, self healing practices, etc...even efforts to get-off-the-grid (septic tanks, solar power, etc) are important ideas that are easily spread by observation. Don't forget to remind them of their civic duty to protect our planet, by voting!
PuroChisme began this blog with a Question: What's Worth More? Your life or the Planet's? Only our wise RAZA readers (YOU) knew the answer...
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